Category «Internet»

Politics, Polarization and the Pandemic: Which Media Sources Can You Trust?

“Since the outbreak began, news about Covid-19 has been subject to political manipulation and misinformation, and it continues to spread today. Making matters more complex, we all inevitably bring our own implicit biases or “motivated reasoning” in determining what news and information to believe and what to discount as propaganda from “the other side.” This …

Subjects: Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries, Social Media

State of the Facts 2020: 37% of Americans say it’s harder to find facts since the pandemic began

AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (October, 2020). “State of the Facts 2020: COVID-19.” Topline Results Report “Eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are still paying close attention, but few have trusted sources for factual information. Over half of Americans are paying close attention to information related to the virus these days. But 43% …

Subjects: Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Medicine, Search Engines, Social Media

Why Social Media Is So Good at Polarizing Us

WSJ.com [includes a 4.24 min video which is free to watch] – Mathematicians are teaming up with political scientists to create models of how social media divides us, and results suggest at least one popular solution might actually make the problem worse. “Americans are more polarized than ever—at least by some measures. A growing body …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 18, 2020

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 18, 2020 – Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, Economy, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legislation, Privacy, Social Media

The Problem of Free Speech in an Age of Disinformation

The New York Times – The First Amendment in the age of disinformation. “…The United States is in the middle of a catastrophic public-health crisis caused by the spread of the coronavirus. But it is also in the midst of an information crisis caused by the spread of viral disinformation, defined as falsehoods aimed at …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries, Search Engines, Social Media

Justice Department Sues Monopolist Google For Violating Antitrust Laws

“Today, the Department of Justice — along with eleven state Attorneys General — filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop Google from unlawfully maintaining monopolies through anticompetitive and exclusionary practices in the search and search advertising markets and to remedy the competitive harms. The participating …

Subjects: Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

The socially distanced library: staying connected in a pandemic

OUPBlog: “The concept of a socially distanced library would be considered the ultimate antithesis of the modern-day library. The past two decades have witnessed the evolution of the library from a mostly traditional space of quiet study and research into a bustling collaborative, social space and technology center. The library has been described as a …

Subjects: Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Eight Persistent COVID-19 Myths and Why People Believe Them

Scientific American – From a human-made virus to vaccine conspiracy theories, we rounded up the most insidious false claims about the pandemic. Because the pathogen first emerged in Wuhan, China, President Donald Trump and others have claimed, without evidence, that it started in a lab there, and some conspiracy theorists believe it was engineered as …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Medicine, Social Media

Your guide to following the election on social media

Washington Post – From misinformation to fast-changing maps, here’s how to understand election results and navigate social media. “The experts agree: The best way to accurately track election results, and avoid falling for misinformation between now and Election Day, is to avoid too much social media. Stick with a handful of reputable news sources and …

Subjects: Congress, E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

New online research database set to boost battle against COVID-19

University of Birmingham: “Researchers around the world can tap into a new inter-disciplinary online database of COVID-19 research allowing them to search for new partners, resources and funding to boost the global battle against the virus. Launched today, the international open-access database for ongoing research activity COVID CORPUS aims to encourage collaboration and reduce duplication between …

Subjects: Education, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management